Opinion: As AI hits an infrastructure wall, quantum technologies could help Australia seize its next big tech opportunity, argues Petra Andrén. The next phase of the AI economy will be determined more by infrastructure than by algorithms. As AI powers increasingly large and compute-intensive models across logistics, supply chains, finance, and more, its limits will be defined by what we can power, cool, and physically build. Demand for compute, storage, and advanced analytics in data centres around the world is accelerating faster than the infrastructure required to support it. As a result, the economics of digital growth are transforming rapidly, too. For decades, advances in computing came from scaling hardware and improving efficiency. Now, where we can build infrastructure and how quickly we can scale it increasingly shape progress. This in turn determines which regions become or remain competitive. Unless we fundamentally improve how we optimise these complex systems, scaling AI will become more expensive. So too will its demand for energy and physical systems. The good news is that another emerging technology has the potential to address these growing infrastructure requirements. Furthermore, it is in the process of shifting from research-driven capability to practical application. Where quantum comes in Quantum computing uses quantum bits (“qubits”) to solve certain highly complex problems faster than the most powerful classical supercomputers. It could help tackle larger and more complex optimisation and simulation challenges than today’s computers can handle. This is especially the case where they must rely on estimates or shortcuts. In data centres and energy networks, this could change how operators allocate workloads, distribute power and manage systems under stress. In short, it could help run AI infrastructure more efficiently, reliably, and sustainably. But quantum computing is not the only quantum technology that is relevant to AI. Quantum sensing uses quantum